From 30 September 2026, certain care leavers in England can no longer be found to have become intentionally homeless by a local housing authority. The change applies to relevant children and former relevant children aged under 25 who fall within the corporate parenting duty.

The change was introduced through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 and is intended to strengthen housing protections for care-experienced young people as they move towards independent living.

Local authorities must also set out in their care leaver local offer how they will help eligible care-experienced young people find and maintain suitable accommodation, prevent homelessness and access support when leaving custody.

The government has allocated additional funding to local authorities to cover costs associated with the new homelessness protections, alongside updated guidance on joint working between housing and children’s services.